The snow gradually turned into a drizzle, and the river was clear. Pei Zi Yun looked at the surface of the river and saw that the number of boats had increased.
'It's been two years. I've heard that the number of ports has increased from three to seven. The sea trade is booming, and this has led to the shipbuilding industry.'
Pei Zi Yun was currently on a three-story ship. The space was much bigger than it was two years ago. It was divided into cabins, the first floor, the second floor, and the third floor was the main hall. Curtains hung down from both sides of the hall, and could be used for many banquets.
There were about twenty to thirty guests on the boat. There were merchants, scholars, merchants, tourists, and even visiting relatives. There were people from all walks of life mixed together. When Pei Zi Yun reached the third floor, he could hear the cheers coming from above.
It was the storyteller telling a story.
The banquet was set up around him, and the floor was red. The storyteller sat in the middle. Pei Zi Yun took a seat and ordered some dishes. They had just arrived yesterday, and the dishes were plentiful. He then listened to the storyteller speak.
'Fan Li was from Chu. He was carefree and did not care about trifles. His actions were always unexpected. The locals called him' Crazy Fan '.'
'Wen Zhong came to Chu to be a county magistrate. When he heard Fan Li's name, he sent his subordinates to pay him a visit.'
'When the two of them met, they talked about the Dao of Kings. They were extremely agreeable, and regretted not meeting each other earlier. They felt that the countries of the central plains were gloomy, and that Chu was in chaos. Wen Zhong then resigned from his position and followed Fan Li to Wu. At that time, the King of Wu placed Wu Zi Xu in an important position. He listened to him, and the country was flourishing. '
Hearing this, someone below could not help but ask, "In history, there were seven such places in Chu, and six in Wu. But I've never heard of Wu Zi Xu."
Someone then replied, "This is the book of the Yue Nu Sword. You bookworm, don't interrupt."
This person was unconvinced and mumbled, "Nonsense, nonsense!"
"There's such a beauty under the heavens! Fan Li, she … she's even more beautiful than what you said! Ah Qing stared at Xi Shi, and his killing intent disappeared. With a loud whistle, he broke through the window. "
The storyteller paused and said, "From then on, Xi Shi suffered from heartache. Fan Li and Xi Shi roamed the world. Although they lost their riches and honor, they gained longevity. As the saying goes, one gains and one loses."
It was referring to Pei Zi Yun's Yue Maiden Sword, which was slightly modified according to the era.
"Fellow villagers, if you have money, please support me. If not, I won't be able to buy a new book, and I won't be able to tell stories for all of you." The storyteller pretended to be pitiful as he walked forward with a gong in his hand.
A veiled woman was sitting in the front row, listening to the storyteller. Her eyes were a little dazed. Seeing the copper gong in front of her, she took out a tael of silver and placed it on the gong. A look of joy appeared on the storyteller's face, "Thank you, Young Miss."
The woman pressed the gong and looked at the storyteller in front of her. She then asked, "Who wrote this book?"
The storyteller was stunned. He smiled and said, "Miss, it's Jiu Bukong's work. He has published three books, and they are circulated in the province. All the big booksellers have them."
"Many thanks." The woman thanked him and looked at the storyteller before she stood up and left.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the woman, who was holding a sword. He guessed that she was a heroine who had roamed the pugilistic world and was attracted by his book.
The three books all had their own emphasis.
The Yue Maiden Sword was suitable for the pugilistic world. In this world, there were martial artists and heroines.
The Liang Zhu was Zhu Ying Tai and Liang Shan Bo. It was about the love and hatred between the two families. It was written in a sentimental and touching manner. It was very suitable for young girls.
Nie Xiao Qian was the story of a female ghost and a scholar. However, there were ghosts and gods in this world. Hence, the reader was more immersed in the story. Of course, some of the details had been changed.
Pei Zi Yun saw that everyone was engrossed in his novel, and felt a sense of pride in his heart. He thought to himself that writing novels was progress, but it depended on social interaction. Even with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of readers, how could it be compared to tens of millions of people reading books?
After finishing his meal, he returned to his cabin and closed the door before lying on his bed. With a tap of his finger, a Plum Blossom appeared in front of him. It grew bigger and bigger until it became a semi-transparent information interface. It floated in front of him.
"Divine Powers: Stars Transposition Second Level (25.11% Completed)"
"The reputation points I used to level up to the second level are slowly increasing again."
"For the sake of battle, I have to level up the Stars Transposition. If I can complete the third level, I can consider cultivating the Yin Master. The first and second level of the Yin Master Realm is the consolidation of forms. This is easy to understand."
"The third and fourth levels are the Ascended Divinity. This is the ability to view everything from the perspective of a Yin Master.
"The fifth and fifth levels are the Night Roaming. This is the ability to leave the Yin Master's body and travel to the underworld. The Paradise and Ancestral Halls can also be visited. This is not a temporary trip, but a real trip."
"The seventh and eighth levels are the removal of one's records. This is the removal of one's records from the underworld. When one reaches the ninth and tenth levels, one can be called an Earth Immortal."
After a long time, Pei Zi Yun opened his eyes. His Yin Master was still at the consolidation stage. He paced around, deep in thought.
"Back then, Xie Cheng Dong had obtained the Plum Blossom. Could it have other uses?" Pei Zi Yun thought to himself before laughing, "Everything now is just wishful thinking. The most important thing now is to focus on the present."
At this point, someone knocked on the door, "Is Young Master Pei in?"
It was the cold voice of a lady. Pei Zi Yun froze and opened the door. It was the lady from earlier. When she saw Pei Zi Yun, she spoke politely, "Young Master, an important person wishes to see you."
"Who are you, and who is this important person?" Pei Zi Yun asked.
"Young Master, don't worry. I am …" The lady took out a silver tile and flashed it in front of Pei Zi Yun before keeping it.
"Crown Prince's Mansion. Where is the important person?" Pei Zi Yun asked. The lady stretched out a finger and pointed at the top of the mountain, "Five Finger Mountain!"
The Five Finger Mountain wasn't very tall. After walking for a few miles, the path could be seen. Pei Zi Yun walked along the mountain path. Along the way, he could see the leaves on the trees along the way. There were also flower buds growing on the trees.
Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but think that it was still early spring. If it was late spring or early summer, this would be a beautiful and secluded place.
After walking for half an hour, the group of them arrived at the main peak. The terrain was wide and spacious. At the top of the mountain, there was an empty plot of land. There was a Daoist monastery.
There were two young ladies standing in front of the monastery. When they saw Pei Zi Yun, they didn't say a word. They just squatted down and led the way.
Pei Zi Yun followed them in and saw several guards and eunuchs. All of them lowered their heads and made way for him. Some of them even turned a blind eye to him. They led him to a side hall, where he saw a lady sitting on a chair.
Pei Zi Yun walked in and took a step forward and bowed. The lady stood up and bowed as well, "I've finally met you. Thank you for saving my life all those years ago."
"I don't dare!" Pei Zi Yun hurriedly avoided her, "Greetings, Empress. I didn't mean to save you back then, and am not worthy of such a bow."
The lady waved her hands, and everyone else retreated. Only a eunuch and a military official remained. The lady then introduced them, "This is Eunuch Qin, and this is Thousand Households Zhang. They are my trusted aides."
Pei Zi Yun looked at Eunuch Qin. He was middle-aged, and had a sharp look in his eyes. He was a highly skilled martial artist. Pei Zi Yun looked at the other man and saw that Thousand Households Zhang was tall and sturdy. He stood upright, and exuded a killing aura.
Actually, this wasn't all. The screen was a picture of a person standing under a willow tree, looking across the river. There was a carriage with a dragon on it, and a goddess.
Pei Zi Yun felt a sense of familiarity. If he tried to recall, he would be able to. However, this wasn't what he was looking at. Instead, he was looking at someone hiding in the shadows.
"Please take a seat." The Imperial Concubine spoke. Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, she then continued, "It wasn't easy for me to come here, and I don't have much time to see Young Master."
"Young Master's plan to subdue the pirates, and without making a sound, managed to turn the situation around. This allowed Ying Prefecture to earn three hundred thousand silver taels a year. What a wise man. Besides thanking you, I would like to ask a favor of Young Master. Do you have a good plan to help the Crown Prince?"
"The Crown Prince wasn't the one who wanted to kill me. It was King Lu who wanted to kill me, and implicated Young Master Pei. I hope Young Master can come up with a plan. The stronger the Crown Prince is, the weaker King Lu is. Sooner or later, the Crown Prince will have to answer for his actions." The Imperial Concubine spoke of King Lu, her tone was filled with hatred.
Pei Zi Yun didn't expect the Imperial Concubine to speak so directly. It looked like he wouldn't be able to stay for long. He then fell into deep thought, and the entire hall fell silent.
The Imperial Concubine was right. The stronger the Crown Prince was, the weaker King Lu was. At this point, he could make use of the Crown Prince's strength to fight back. He then said, "Actually, this isn't difficult."
At this point, the four of them looked over in disbelief. Pei Zi Yun didn't seem to mind as he retrieved a brush and some ink. He then spoke, "As for the Crown Prince, the problem lies with the Crown Prince's grandson."
"The Emperor wishes for the stability of the country, and thus has to place importance on the Crown Prince's grandson. This is the Crown Prince's biggest problem. Now that the Imperial Concubine has a son, this problem has been mostly solved."
"The ice is three feet deep, and it doesn't freeze in a day. What's left is just a matter of time before it thaws."
"Now is the time to break the ice. Breaking the ice can't be rushed. If the Crown Prince were to smash the ice, the ice might break, and he might even sink. Hence, the Crown Prince's plan is indeed wise."
When everyone heard this, they all nodded their heads. Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but smile as he pondered for sometime before speaking, "Reputation and weapons cannot be faked. Actually, the Crown Prince's greatest strength right now is his status as King Lu's official."
"However, we mustn't be too slow. Everything must be done in moderation, and the medication must be used according to the symptoms. I have some suggestions that I can share with the Crown Prince." As Pei Zi Yun spoke up to this point, he didn't say anything else and started writing.
When he was done, he couldn't help but perspire profusely. The Imperial Concubine received the document and was about to read it when he placed the brush aside and cupped his hands, "Concubine, please continue. This subject shall take his leave."
The Imperial Concubine took a look at it and exhaled deeply. She then hid it and instructed, "Thousand Households Zhang, go and see Master Pei off."
Seeing that he had left, she turned around and asked, "Eunuch Qin, what do you think of this person?"
"Niang niang, this person is very frightening. Even though I'm sitting next to him, I can hardly lock down this person's aura. This kind of person is really not suitable to be near Jun Yan."
The Imperial Concubine smiled and stood up, "Your words are more or less the same as the Commander's. We don't have much time left, let's go back!"
"Yes!" At this point, more than two hundred people rushed out of the monastery. Nobody knew where they were, but they escorted her down the mountain.
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